Kansas Visitor's Guide 2007/2008 - (Page 28) ’’’’’ THE LAKE EXPERIENCE HAWKS SOARING ON THE PRAIRIE WIND are just some of the fans of the steady breezes that sweep across Kansas —boaters know they always can fill their sails here, too. “This is one of the top sailing lakes in the United States,” says Jerry Schmidt, retired park manager at Cheney Reservoir (16 miles west of Wichita). The 9,500-acre impoundment, the state’s fifth-largest lake, is in so much demand for sailboating and windsurfing that one of the lake’s two marinas is set aside just for wind-propelled craft. Whether you sail, captain a personal watercraft or prefer easygoing sightseeing from a pontoon boat, you’re never far from a lake in Kansas. The state’s 24 primary reservoirs range from 1,200 acres to a whopping 16,000 acres. Cedar Bluff Reservoir (20 miles southeast of WaKeeney) provides 6,800 acres of boating, plus 100-foot-tall bluffs along one shore. A canyon road leads to the site of an 1850s Indian attack on a wagon train. At 9,000-acre Wilson Lake (in the Smoky Hills, about 60 miles west of Salina) kayakers play among castlelike sandstone formations rising out of the water. Clinton Lake (just southwest of Lawrence) has a fullservice marina and a separate launching area for personal watercraft and windsurfers. You can ride a bicycle along a paved trail to lunch or shopping. At 16,000-acre Milford Lake (west of Manhattan), explore remote coves by boat and catch your supper in waters teeming with fish. Because most of the reservoirs are part of state parks, almost all feature well-kept swimming beaches, picnic areas and campgrounds. El Dorado Reservoir (25 miles northeast of Wichita) and Kanopolis State Park (35 miles southwest of Salina) even have campgrounds for visitors who bring their horses to explore backcountry trails. Kanopolis Lake is the centerpiece of Kanopolis State Park, one of Kansas’ oldest and among the most popular. Fourteen campgrounds offer nearly 400 modern and primitive campsites along the shore of the 3,500-acre lake. Some 25 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails wind through the 1,600-acre park. The 1½-mile Buffalo Track Canyon Nature Trail follows Bison Creek to a box canyon that Plains tribes once used to trap buffalo. Many of the state’s parks also feature extras, ranging from museums to demonstrations by park rangers. At Cheney State Park (30 miles west of Wichita), the halfmile Spring Creek Nature Trail includes a boardwalk over a beaver pond. Next to the park, the 5,200-acre Cheney Wildlife Area is an excellent location for bird-watching. At Tuttle Creek State Park on the outskirts of Manhattan, you can target-shoot at the Fancy Creek Shooting Range or fish in the 12,500-acre reservoir—the state’s second-largest impoundment. Cabins also can be rented at Tuttle Creek and several other state parks. (From top) Park your cooler and bait bucket on a dock at Milford Lake, one of the state’s best fishing holes. On the Clinton Lake beaches, you’ll find more to do than bake in the sun. (Opposite) Cheney Reservoir is a premier sailing lake. PHOTOGRAPHS, THIS PAGE: MICHAEL C. SNELL. OPPOSITE: JOHN NOLTNER 28 Official Kansas Visitors Guide
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